Congratulations Lindsey! You definitely deserve it!



Utah's Lindsey Brinton became the 2008 America's Junior Miss tonight, winning the title and a $50,000 scholarship.

To take the title, Brinton defeated finalists Marianna Breland of Mississippi; Jackie Rotman of California; Norma Boyd of Alabama; Kaileigh Bullard of Oklahoma; Helen Ching of North Carolina; Nanxi Liu of Colorado; and Lauren Gessner of Ohio.

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"Woman is God’s supreme creation. Only after the earth had been formed, after the day had been separated from the night, after the waters had been divided from the land, after vegetation and animal life had been created, and after man had been placed on the earth, was woman created; and only then was the work pronounced complete and good."

“Of all the creations of the Almighty, there is none more beautiful, none more inspiring than a lovely daughter of God who walks in virtue with an understanding of why she should do so, who honors and respects her body as a thing sacred and divine, who cultivates her mind and constantly enlarges the horizon of her understanding, who nurtures her spirit with everlasting truth." - Gordon B. Hinckley

I have been reflecting on womanhood and how grateful I am that I was born as a daughter of our Heavenly Father. To be a woman is a great blessing but also a great responsibility.

Some of the blessings we have are femininity, compassion, womanhood, motherhood, nurturing, virtue, etc. I love what James E Faust said about femininity, "I wonder if you sisters fully understand the greatness of your gifts and talents and how all of you can achieve the "highest place of honor" in the Church and in the world. One of your unique, precious, and sublime gifts is your femininity, with its natural grace, goodness, and divinity. Femininity is not just lipstick, stylish hairdos, and trendy clothes. It is the divine adornment of humanity. It finds expression in your qualities of your capacity to love, your spirituality, delicacy, radiance, sensitivity, creativity, charm, graciousness, gentleness, dignity, and quiet strength. It is manifest differently in each girl or woman, but each of you possesses it. Femininity is part of your inner beauty."

Russell M. Nelson said, "As daughters of God, their potential is divine. Without them, eternal life would be impossible. Our high regard for them should spring from our love of God and from an awareness of their lofty purpose in His great eternal plan."

As I started searching on the internet about woman I was saddened by what came up. Pictures of scantily clad women and websites related to sex. There is so much more to women then that. This is the image that Satan wants the world to see.

Many individuals in our society see women as a secondary class, as lesser than the man. This is not how our Heavenly Father sees women. This is not how we should see women or ourselves. Spencer W Kimball said, "Our roles and assignments differ. These are eternal differences—with women being given many tremendous responsibilities of motherhood and sisterhood and men being given the tremendous responsibilities of fatherhood and the priesthood—but the man is not without the woman nor the woman without the man in the Lord. …" We are different than man and should be grateful for that difference; we should embrace the qualities that make us women. Recently I heard a woman share how her father said during the Woman’s Rights Movement, "Why would women want to be taken down from their pedestals?" Which goes along with President Faust’s comment, "One of humankind’s greatest blessings is for righteous womanhood to hold “the highest place of honor in human life” and to be "the perfect workmanship of God." I love to hear my wife, Ruth, and our daughters say, "I am glad I am a woman." This tells me they have the vision of their divine destiny."

We are precious and sacred in the eyes of our Heavenly Father. We should see ourselves as beautiful and should find joy in being mothers and raising our families. We should realize what a sacred responsibility Heavenly Father has entrusted us in allowing us to nurture and raise His children here on earth. Jeffery R. Holland emphasized this in a talk where he said, "Indeed, in the restored light of the gospel of Jesus Christ, a woman occupies a majesty all her own in the divine design of the Creator. You are, as Elder James E. Talmage once phrased it, “a sanctified investiture which none shall dare profane."

I am glad that I am a daughter of my Heavenly Father. I am grateful to have feminine characteristics. I hope that I might live my life in such a way that my Father in Heaven may one day trust me with the greatest responsibility He can give me, to be a mother and a co-partner with Him in bringing His spirit children here. May I develop the characteristics that can exemplify the gospel that I love and may I be a witness of my savior.

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Today I started my new ward. I was nervous at leaving a ward I have been attending for the past 7 years. I think that is the longest I have ever been in one ward. So today was a new adventure.


While there I discovered that a member of the ward had passed away this past week. He was very young and left behind his wife and their beautiful daughter. It got me to thinking how life is short and that you need to take the time to count your blessings and let the people in your life know you care. There are a few people I want to mention that have been on my mind today.

First is Brigitta ... what a life saver she has been the past few weeks. Brig and I have been friends for about 15 years. She is one of my beautiful sisters and the mother of the sweet Takara! Brig is the most amazing cook and is very creative. Yet I think one of the things I most admire about her is the hugeness of her heart!





Next is my friends from my first year at Snow College ... This was a time in my life when I was discovering who I was and was growing into my skin. These friends taught me to laugh, helped me to love, helped me discover talents I didn't know I possessed. Helped me move one step forward. Unfortunately RaChelle has left this world a few years ago and I miss her.




Next is J.R. ... we became friends through good ol' LD Singers. J.R. is one of the people who helped me feel completely cared for and accepted during a time in my life when I rarely felt either. We have recently gotten back in touch and I am so glad. Next are the members of LD Singers as a whole. I was apart of the group for two of my years at Snow and that experience changed my life. It taught me new talents, helped me strengthen my testimony, and gave me great friends and lots of memories!



How I love President Willmore! He was my institute teacher, my LD Singers director, and my stake president! He is an example of the priesthood, a good father, and loving friend, and an all around example of a righteous man.

There are many more people I could name here and thank but these are just a few from my past who have helped mold my life and taught me so very much. Many I have lost touch with, but each one comes across my memory on a regular basis and I am grateful that our paths crossed on this journey.

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"I had packed my bags for Hawaii and ended up in Peoria."

I read this line and it described exactly how I am feeling.

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My birthday was on Friday. I had a fabulous day!



At work they bought me a delicious chocolate cake from The Lion House. Then my mom took me to lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. When they brought our dessert the waiters all sang to me. The cheesecake was delicious!



Then that night I had girls night with my schwesters. We ordered dinner from Applebees and then watched the movie Step Up.

It was a fun day! And now I have my mom's yummy spice cake with cream cheese frosting to enjoy!

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Today was a long and hard day. Who am I kidding!?!?!?!?!? This has been a long and hard week. But tonight I am enjoying the beauty that is known as The Office. I LOVE THIS SHOW!



Because right now, this is a job. If I advance any higher, this would be my career. And if this were my career, I'd have to throw myself in front of a train. - Jim Halpert

Why are you the way that you are? Honestly, every time I try to do something fun or exciting, you make it not... that way. I hate... so much about the things that you choose to be. - Michael Scott

I.D. badges are long overdue. Security in this office park is a joke. Last year, I came to work with my spud gun in a duffel bag. I sat at my desk all day, with a rifle that shoots potatoes at 60 pounds per square inch. Can you imagine if I was deranged? - Dwight Schrute

I suggested we flip a coin, but Angela said she doesn't like to gamble. Of course by saying that, she was gambling that I wouldn't smack her. - Pam Beesley

See why I love it?!?!?!?

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Well it has been 48 hours and I am back home at my apartment. Not being able to use your dominate arm makes you realize what a blessing it is to have two arms and two hands.

Anyway all is well. The first day found a slight complication when my entire arm was covered with blood. I had to go back in and have my dressings re-done. Luckily that has passed and now I am just being a gimp.

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My handsome nephew Cannon Jolley Fox was born yesterday at 4:55 p.m.

Cannon weighed 9 lbs. even and measured 21.5 inches long.

We are so happy to have him here!

More pics here.

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Well I have a few more hours until I have to be at the clinic, so I thought to get my mind off of things (especially the fact that I can't drink ANYTHING!) Today's gratitude is unanswered prayers.

Sometimes I thank God for unanswered prayers
Remember when you're talkin' to the man upstairs
That just because he doesn't answer doesn't mean he don't care
Some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers

Many times in life we have situations arise and we pray to our Heavenly Father for the answer we think should be granted. Often times His answers don't come out exactly the way we had it all planned out in our heads. Sometimes in the future we discover why the answer turned out the way that it did and other times we do not, but I know deep down that we have a Heavenly Father who knows us even better than we do and knows what answers are truly best for us and I am grateful that He does what He knows is best instead of listening to me! Thank you!

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Well this will be my last update until after my surgery. And since it is my right hand that they are operating on, I am not sure how easy it will be for me to update. I check in at 11:10 am tomorrow for my "temporary amputation". Wish me luck!

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I love my new apartment! I am worn out from unpacking and organizing, but it feels so good to have a place I can call my own. I have had a few people request pics, so here are a few links to some pictures!

Bedroom #1
Bedroom #2
Bedroom #3
Kitchen #1
Kitchen #2
Living Room #1
Living Room #2
Bathroom #1

I feel pretty much settled … just need my internet connection and then we will be all set!

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About once a year I start thinking about gratitude. So for the next week up until my surgery I am going to write about something each day that I am grateful for. Today I am grateful for friendship.



The past few months I have been getting in contact with some friends that I have not spoken to in a few years (ok … some of them were more than just a few years). A few of these individuals are people who at the time made a great impact on my life; helped me to become the person that I am today.



There are many individuals whom I have crossed paths over the years with that touch me and guide me. I am grateful for each of them.



In the words of C.S. Lewis, “It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption which you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long, we are, in some degree, helping each other to one or other of these destinations. It is in the light of these overwhelming possibilities, it is with the awe and circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all of our dealings with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics. There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations - these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit - immortal horrors or everlasting splendours.”



I am blessed to be surrounded by future gods and goddesses in this life. I am blessed by their strength, I am blessed by their light, I am blessed by their guidance & examples, and I am blessed by their love.



To each of you that I call my friends: Thank you! I love you! I am grateful for you!

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I am trying out some of the features on this new program I am using to blog, so I thought I would share some dang cute pics of my three youngest nieces from this past weekend.

First off is Miss Faith. Faith is two years old and loves swimsuits. She found hers on Saturday and put it on over her clothes and then wouldn't take it off. So here is what Fatih looked like at our family bbq.



This past year we had two new additions to the family.

Takara is currently 9 months old. She has this cute little pony tail on her head that makes her look like a "who". She loves to play patty cake and loves her yellow duck. She lights up a room with her presence.



Kaylee is 6 months old and already has such a fun little personality. She always tries to talk to you and has the most beautiful smile. You should see the way her face lights up when her daddy walks into the room. Her Aunt Ali has a special place in her heart for this little angel.

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Well I am all moved in. Everything is in the apartment and all over the place in boxes. Moving is not fun stuff! But at least I have a nice bathtub to help with the stiffness!

My apartment is a one bedroom basement apartment in the beautiful town of Herriman. (Herriman is in the south western corner of the Salt Lake Valley).

The fun part of the moving is the decorating and arranging everything. Making it into a home. I love picking where to hang each picture and adding the orange appliance covers to the kitchen. There is still much work to be done, but I am just taking it one step at a time and enjoying each moment.

P.S. I do not have internet at home so I am not able to check anything on blogger at the moment. I promise to catch up with everyone as soon as possible!

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Today has been one of those days. There have been some good news and yet it has been tainted by other occurances.

The main news is that as of tomorrow I will be residing in my own abode. I am excited to be independent and have my very own place. I am scared though because this brings many changes that I am not sure I am 100% ready for. I guess that is how life goes. You just take it one step at a time and hope it all falls in place.

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I have been doing some thinking recently about judging a book by it's cover. Over the course of the past ten years actor Tom Cruise has received a lot of bad press. I personally had my own opinions of this man, which hasn't been hard to do considering the reports of him jumping on couches, his strange religion, and his relationship with his wife Katie Holmes.

This past Friday and Monday, Oprah interviewed her friend Tom in honor of his 25 years in the business. Friday's portion showed Oprah visiting Tom at his home in Telluride, Colorado. The two walked around his home as Tom shared insights into his personal life. And I have to say that he seemed so "real". Tom Cruise is simply a man who's life is thrust into the media. People make judgements on who they believe he is.

To see Tom walk around his house and show off a painting his daughter Bella did for him when she was ten years old or to see the pride in his eyes as he enters Suri's room and talks about her.

You can tell he loves his family and you can tell that they are the center of his life. "We're a family. And part of it is, I try to really create a life together." Tom is proud of his children. "They're good people, my children. I'm proud of them because they're good people."

During Monday's interview Oprah focused on the 25 years of Tom's career. Oprah asked Tom that if he were to give a 19 year old new actor any advice what would it be. Tom said, "I would have said, 'You know what? It's going to be okay. I was always trying to enjoy every moment that I could because I thought, 'If this is the last film I get to make, then at least I lived that dream. I had no idea that I'd be here 25 years later doing this".

And if you still have any doubts about Mr. Cruise, the words of his friends would dispell them.

Dakota Fanning, his co-star in War of the Worlds says to Tom, "I just want to thank you for staying in my life after we finished the movie and calling me to encourage or support me, and sometimes for no reason at all, just to say hello. I think that's what means the most to me, and I really appreciate all that you have done."

Renee Zellweger, his co-star in Jerry Maguire says, "He was born with some magic about him, and you can't describe it, and you can't dissect what makes Tom Cruise special. He just is."

Will Smith shares, "I've met very few people who have made that commitment that when they leave this place, they want the world to be better, period, because they were here. And this dude has made that. There's not a single piece of press, there's not been a single interview, there's not been a single image in the 25 years of his career that gets anywhere near capturing who he is."

This interview has opened my eyes a lot and given me a new perspective that often times we judge others based on their covers. What we read and what we see. Yet there is always so much more than what is written on the cover. You have to take the time to read to see who a person truly is. Wether it is a celebrity such as Tom Cruise, the person sitting at the desk next to you at work, or a person on the Trax ride in. May we all be a little more open minded and a bit more kind. And who knows what friends await us.

(To read the entire interview go here and here.)

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Okay so this week wasn't as good. Over all the dieting part went okay, but no exercise at all. It was an exceptionally busy week (I was gone every night except for Friday) and I spent the majority of the weekend sick in my room. So basically the results was 0. No Loss. No Gain. Thank heavens tomorrow is a new day ... just gotta get back up and start working harder. On to week three!

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Penelope: And we lived happily ever after - well, happily ever after so far at least.
Child #1: I don't get it. What does it mean?
Penelope: Well, you tell me what you think it means.
Child #2: Rich people stink!
Child #3: It's always the mother’s fault.
Child #4: It's not the power of the curse - it's the power you give the curse.

This week I went to the movies and saw a movie called Penelope. It is the story of the Wilhelm family. A witch curses the first-born daughter of the family. Generations pass with only males being born into the family. Then the day arrives that Penelope Wilhelm enters the world and to her socialite parents’ dismay is cursed with the nose of a pig. In order to remove the curse Penelope must be accepted by one of her own kind. So her mother hires a matchmaker to help Penelope find a blue blooded male to marry. Many eligible bachelors are enamored with Penelope and her sizable dowry until her curse is revealed.

A reporter and a spoiled blue blood are determined to get proof of Penelope’s curse so they hires Max, a down on his luck gambler, to pose as a prospective suitor and get a photograph of Penelope. Max and Penelope become friends and when she reveals herself to him he doesn’t run as many before him have, yet feeling that he has betrayed her he leaves.

The story continues on as Penelope discovers what is truly important in life and finds that what she has always wanted has always been inside of her. And that lesson is what makes this story so special. It's not the power of the curse - it's the power you give the curse.

Each of us has great power with in us, we just have to believe in ourselves and allow that power to go forth and bless our lives. So many of us compare ourselves to others and therefore only see what we may be lacking, but each of us has gifts given to us by a loving Heavenly Father that only we possess. May each of us discover our greatness and allow it to shine through.

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